Enlarged Prostate Symptoms: What You Need to Know

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]An enlarged prostate is a medical condition also known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), which occurs in men. Due to the condition, the prostate gland becomes enlarged, causing problems in the urinary system given the location of the prostate. The walnut-sized gland has two lobes, is part of the male reproductive system, and is located near the bladder and rectum, surrounding the urethra. The function of the prostate is to produce a fluid that combines with semen and is expelled through the urethra during ejaculation.

While a medical condition, an enlarged prostate is a common occurance in men. “The prostate goes through two main growth periods as a man ages. The first occurs early in puberty, when the prostate doubles in size. The second phase of growth begins around age 25 and continues during most of a man’s life. Benign prostatic hyperplasia often occurs with the second growth phase. As the prostate enlarges, the gland presses against and pinches the urethra. The bladder wall becomes thicker. Eventually, the bladder may weaken and lose the ability to empty completely, leaving some urine in the bladder,” explain the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in their online resources for BPH.

An Enlarged Prostate’s Most Common Symptoms

The symptoms of enlarged prostate are diverse and may not be experienced altogether. These include abnormal urinary frequency, which is the equivalent to urinating eight or more times a day; urinary urgency or the inability to delay urination; urinary hesitancy, which consist on difficulties in starting a urine stream; interrupted or weak urine stream; dribbling at the end of urination, which means loss of small amounts of urine due to a poor urinary stream; and nocturia, which is the name given to frequent urination during periods of sleep.

In addition, patients may also experience a feeling of persistent residual urine, need strain or push to initiate and maintain urination, decreased force of stream, urinary retention, urinary incontinence or accidental loss of urine, pain after ejaculation or during urination, and unusual color or smell of urine. The symptoms of enlarged prostate are explained either by a blocked urethra, a bladder that is overworked from trying to pass urine through the blockage, or both.

When Do Enlarged Prostate Symptoms Occur

“The size of the prostate does not always determine the severity of the blockage or symptoms. Some men with greatly enlarged prostates have little blockage and few symptoms, while other men who have minimally enlarged prostates have greater blockage and more symptoms. Less than half of all men with benign prostatic hyperplasia have lower urinary tract symptoms,” states the NIH. While enlarged prostate is a progressive disease that gets worse with time and almost every man will suffer from it, the majority do not experience any symptoms.

The occurrence of enlarged prostate symptoms tends to be more likely as patients get older. However, it is important for men to seek immediate medical care when they notice complete inability to urinate, painful, frequent, and urgent need to urinate, with fever and chills, blood in the urine, or great discomfort or pain in the lower abdomen and urinary tract, since not being treated may cause more severe complications. In addition, the symptoms of enlarged prostate may be indicators of other bladder problems like urinary tract infections, prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate) or even prostate cancer.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_wp_rss items=”7″ title=”Read The Latest News About Enlarged Prostate” url=”http://bphnews.com/tag/enlarged-prostate/feed”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_wp_text title=”Find Out More”]
[/vc_wp_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

BPH News

Disclaimer:

BPH News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

Pin It on Pinterest

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. We never use your cookies for creepy ad retargeting that follows you around the web. OkRead more